Once again, the HIGH END® made a splash as the world’s largest trade fair for the audio industry.

518 exhibitors from 42 countries (+2%)

19,489 attendees in total (-6%)

7,053 trade visitors from 69 countries (+7%)

More international than ever before. 

In the 35th year since its founding, the HIGH END® has impressively underscored its significance as the world’s leading trade fair.

A remarkable 518 exhibitors from 42 countries – more than 60% of them international ex- hibitors – presented an extensive overview of the worldwide audio industry market from 5 to 8 May 2016 at MOC Munich. Nowhere else does the industry showcase its technology    more extensively, or in higher quality, than here in Munich at the HIGH END trade fair.

Around 20,000 visitors enjoyed summery temperatures and brilliant sunshine on their way to the Bavarian capital to marvel at the latest developments related to high quality audio playback. This is commensurate to the high standards which characterised last year’s   trade fair. The Public Friday turned out to be the day with the most attendees by far, with several thousand music fans being drawn to the numerous trade fair stands.

Confusion was caused by a rumour that has been spread again and again since 2015, claiming that the HIGH END will be changing venue, or that the MOC building is, apparently, to be torn down. During the press conference on the Thursday, managing director Mr Branko Glisovic issued another, official and unequivocal declaration stating that not only will the MOC building will be left untouched, but that the HIGH END trade fair has also secured its place in the MOC for years to come and any rumours to this effect are clearly fabricated. They have obviously been fuelled by the purchase of a property in the immediate vicinity by a well-known Bayerische Motoren Werk company.

The leading international audio technology trade fair offered visitors plenty of inspiration across more than 28,000 square metres of exhibition space, with fascinating music-re- lated experiences, trailblazing and trending topics, live demonstrations by audio industry experts, an attractive accompanying program, numerous musical acts and any number   of innovations. Like no other event, it manages to unite industry, retailers, professional users and music-loving consumers. A modern trade fair venue, efficient organisation and Munich as an attractive location formed, as they never fail to do, an optimal framework for a perfect event of this type.

Branko Glisovic, managing director of HIGH END SOCIETY:

“The HIGH END plays a decisive role for the audio industry. Making the advantages of high-quality music playback accessible to a broad public remains important. The HIGH  END has done an outstanding job in this process. Over the last few years in particular, the international presence at the trade fair has been increasing, which is good for the entire industry. I hope that this trend continues and more and more people continue to realise that the cultural value of music can only be experienced by means of perfect audio repro- duction with technically sophisticated  products.”

THE TREND TO MORE QUALITY

The entertainment electronics sector is booming and growing at a rapid pace. Every year, new and visionary products and technologies are launched on the market. The trend to more quality, and an unmistakable tendency to higher quality products, are spurring on the industry impressively. The MOC was once again transformed into a paradise for all those who enjoy the pleasures of listening, becoming a place where the whole world of consum- er electronics was on show. The range of products on offer was inexhaustible, regardless whether they were small systems for beginners, loudspeaker systems for filling a room  with sound, or centrally controlled multiroom systems. There was something for every music fan as well. “The extensive market overview, spanning all product groups, directly   its undivided attention on the audio industry, is unique within the international trade fair world,” as Branko Glisovic, managing director of the HIGH END trade fair, states. Digital all-round devices that are simple to operate will be trending over the next few years.

TRADE VISITORS

This is a new record.

Increase in trade visitor numbers, and increasing internationalism. There’s no doubt the HIGH END is the central industry meeting place.

The HIGH  END  has  evolved  into  an  ideal,  central  and  highly  competent  industry  meeting place for audiophiles from all over the world. The trade fair set a special milestone with more than 7,000  trade visitors in attendance for the first time. Trade  visitors from the retail  and  industrial  sector  –  businesspersons, managers and employees of industry companies all attend the HIGH END to obtain information about current developments and technical innovations directly from the source, and to have them showcased and demonstrated right there and then.

This year, we recorded an increase in trade visitor numbers of 7% compared to last year. The high level of internationalism of these visitors is also noteworthy. The share of trade visitors from overseas totals around 64 per cent.

After Germany, the European countries with the highest levels of attendance were Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria and France. Overseas trade visitors largely came from the USA, Canada and China.

Kurt Hecker, chairman of the High End Society e.V.

“Once again this year, the HIGH END impressively demonstrated its status as an interna- tionally unparalleled, leading trade fair for the audio industry.

The exhibitor presence and number of top names attending once again, as was the case in the last few years, reached the very highest level, which can also be attributed to what is always a perfectly organised trade fair. As an industry association, we are not only thrilled about a new record number of trade visitors in the 35-year history of the HIGH END trade fair, but are also particularly delighted about the increasing internationalism on part of the exhibitors and visitors as well, with this being tangible in a very special way every day of the event. I am already looking to continuing the success story of our event with the HIGH END 2017, which will be held in the same location in May next  year.

UNWAVERING MEDIA INTEREST

The exhibitors at the HIGH END benefited from the massive publicity and considerable media interest. Innumerable print and online media from Germany and overseas, as well as many radio and television channels, reported about the HIGH  END.

516 German and international journalists provided a lot of publicity and blanket coverage with their reports. This also allowed this trade fair’s “leading function” to be documented as well.

VARIED PERFORMANCES WITH AN EXTENSIVE  ACCOMPANYING PROGRAM

The private visitors primarily attended due to the experience-oriented nature of the HIGH END, and to get to know the industry’s latest innovations. The HIGH END trade  fair

creates a convivial atmosphere that invites attendees to stroll around and linger. Not only the extensive range of products, but also the substantial program of presentations and accompanying acts with numerous musical live performances all underscore this trade fair’s aspirations. The HIGH END trade fair, with its equally informative and entertaining products and presentations, easily did justice to this  aspiration.

“Hörbar”, organised for the first time, also garnered a lot of positive resonance. It gave   the visitors to the HIGH END the opportunity to make a direct comparison of different models of headphones in all different price classes. When it came to the selection of mu- sic, identical tracks from different genres were chosen to give the listener the opportunity to make a direct comparison.

The special demonstrations and workshops with high-calibre speakers was also a hit with the public.  The multi-channel audio demonstrations in conference room K1B were particularly well attended, along with the numerous presentations on the technology stage covering many interesting and current topics such as sound optimisation, room acoustics and trailblazing 3D audio technology.

Another special attraction was again provided by Bayerische Rundfunk, which gave a presentation on the variety and quality of radio programming and technology. In just a few days’ time, the presentations will be available on our website as streams to listen to, or as downloads in MP3 format.

A date for your diary

True to the motto “After the HIGH END is before the HIGH END”, the course has already been set for the next HIGH END and the dates have now been fixed: 18 to 21 May 2017 at the MOC in Munich.

FACTS AND FIGURES ON THE HIGH END 2016

The visitor numbers do NOT include the journalists (516) and do NOT include the 2,945 exhibitor badges issued  (2,945).